CHAMPCAR/CART: Team Rahal Vancouver preview

HILLIARD, OH . . . With just six races left in the 2000 season Team Rahal's
Kenny Brack is in the midst of the fight for the Vanderbilt Cup, the trophy
that is presented to the champion of CART FedEx Championship Series.
Although a rookie in CART,...

HILLIARD, OH . . . With just six races left in the 2000 season Team Rahal's
Kenny Brack is in the midst of the fight for the Vanderbilt Cup, the trophy
that is presented to the champion of CART FedEx Championship Series.
Although a rookie in CART, Brack carries with him the dossier of a champion.
With four series championships in his career and two second place results,
Brack know what it will take to win the CART Championship.
"Consistency is the key over the last six races for any driver to
win the championship," said Brack. "To be honest my main concern is still
winning a race or two this season. We have finished just about everywhere
but the top step of the podium so that is my primary goal. When I signed
with Team Rahal I stated my goal was to win a couple of races and be
competitive in my first season. Championships take care of themselves. We
have been competitive week in and week out. We have consistently run in the
top-five on any track type so we have accomplished half of that goal, now we
just have to get the car across the finish line first."
Brack has posted seven top-five results on the season and
three-podium finishes, including a third place effort at Road America two
weeks ago. Currently fifth in the points (102), Brack trails CART points
leader Michael Andretti by 23 points but he is just ten points behind second
place Roberto Moreno. The top-six drivers in points are within 25 points of
each other.
"On paper it looks like the top-six cars will battle it out but to
be honest it is still a wide-open championship. Anyone can get hot and
score points in a hurry. You have to look at each race individually and not
get caught up in the thought process of there are so many races left and I
need to score this many points. It is just as easy to not finish a race as
to finish one, just ask Michael [Andretti] and Gil [de Ferran] after Road
America. The driver who will win the championship will be the most
consistent. Personally I will keep focus on my goal which is to win a race
or two. If I can do that and finish in the top-five at the other tracks the
championship will take care of itself."
Scary as it might be, Brack has mounted a challenge for the
championship without the benefit of having driven the majority of the tracks
on the circuit. "With our team set for next year I feel we can build some
momentum and take advantage of the continuity from this season to next. I
think we will be a better team next year and even more competitive because I
won't be spending the first part of the weekend learning the nuances of the
course."

At the end of the 1999 season Max Papis had just two DNF's on his
scorecard, one in Detroit and one in the streets of Vancouver. Those two
DNF's were the only times Papis failed to crack the top-ten in the second
half of last season. Papis posted a second place finish on Belle Isle in
June, his last podium appearance of the season. He comes to Vancouver
looking to reverse his luck from a year ago and find a podium appearance.
For Papis the 2000 season has been one of highs and lows for the
personable Italian. The season started with the ultimate high, his first
Champ Car victory in the Grand Prix of Miami. Since then Papis has posted
just two top-five results (2nd @ Detroit & 4th @ Mid-Ohio). A continuing
run of nasty luck has plagued the Miller team making this a frustrating
season even though they rank 11th in the points with 74 after 14 races. At
Road America two weeks ago a faulty pop-off valve left Papis running minus
ten-percent of his boost which made driving that day a difficult task.
"Just when I thought everything that could go wrong had, here comes
a problem with the pop-off valve," said Papis. "It made for a frustrating
day because we were really at a disadvantage on the long stretches at Road
America. For us to get out of that race with a seventh place result is
remarkable. It is just another chapter in what has been a frustrating year."
Papis posted a ninth place result at Vancouver in 1998 driving at
the time for Arciero-Wells Racing. "Qualifying is always a key on the
streets with passing at such a premium. We finished last year as one of the
strongest teams on the streets. The Miller Lite team knows what we must do
to be successful."
Papis ended the 1999 season as CART's hottest driver posting 82
points in the final seven races and finish fifth in the points battle and to
grab a spot on the inaugural CART All-Star team. Of the 13 top-five results
Papis has posted in CART, seven have come on a road or street course. Three
of Papis' five podium appearances have come on a road or street course.